Once again the Sumava administration plans to cut down thousands of trees right in the National Park’s core area because of bark beetles. This uncompromising approach is now also calling the European Commission into action.
The clear-cutting of large areas will also destroy precious lynx habitat.
© Jörg Pukownik
Already last year the national park administration allowed wood harvest in large parts of the same region – including areas so far strictly free from any intervention. Environmentalists tried to block the clear-cutting. They argued that the beetle was only used as pretence for serving the economic interests of the wood and tourism industries. Protests against the clear-cutting were backed not only by international nature conservation organisations, such as EuroNatur, but also by Czech ombudsman Pavel Varvarovsky. In March he confirmed that the deforestations last summer were illegal.
In the meantime alarm also sound within the EU Commission: According to a report by German news agency dpa EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik called upon the Czech Republic to stop clear-cutting and endangering this unique ecosystem. Together with the national park Bayerischer Wald in Germany, Sumava National Park forms one of the largest and most biodiverse protected areas in Central Europe and a major part of the Central European Green Belt. Therefore EuroNatur is strongly demanding to prevent this jewel of nature from destruction.
More about EuroNatur’s European Green Belt projects.